Hushai unotjengedza Abusalomu
1 Pezhugwi kwa ipapo Ahithofele kadwa Abusalomu kati, “Ndokumbila shalula balume bali zwiwulu zwili gumi lina babili (12 000), ndikomilika busiku ndinotatana na Dafite. 2 Ndowon'wana atjakanyala kakale akapuna moyo, ndowontjisa ne bathu bose baanabo banowotizha. Ndowobulaya mambo koga, 3 ndowobgwiliza bathu ku kuli. Mushaka bulaya nthu ng'ompela kowobe kudwa shanduka kwe bathu bose, ndizo bathu bose banowogala ne mbakiso.” 4 Gumbuludzo ileli likashathisa Abusalomu ne batungamili bose be Iziraela.
5 Koga Abusalomu kabe eti, “Dana Hushai we N'ariki, tihwebo munli tjaanowoleba.” 6 Ngono kukati Hushai azha, Abusalomu kandwa kati, “Etji nditjo tjalebgwa ndi Ahithofele, apa tithame sekwa akumbuludza kene? Ha kusakajalo utibudze kuti tithameni.”
7 Ipapo Hushai kadabila Abusalomu eti, “Ngwenu gumbuludzo lamapiwa ndi Ahithofele alizolulwama.” 8 Hushai kadwilila eti, “Moziba kuti tate benyu ne babhayani babo bagwi bakasima ne kuti bakalinda banonga bhira hadzi yatolegwa bana mu shango. Pezhugwi kwa ikoku, tate benyu mbhayani unoziba ngwa, abangalale bali pakati kwe babhayani busiku. 9 Ndomubudza, na ngwenu wali bakabgwata mu limwe le makomba, pamwe bali pamwe pathu. Ngono ha bamwe bathu bangabatanga, unowohwa ngekwako unoti, ‘Kwabe ne lufu mu batobeli ba Abusalomu.’ 10 Ipapo nenguba kuna nlume una tjilopa, una moyo unonga we shumba, unopelegwa nge simba, ngobe Iziraela yose inoziba kuti tate benyu mbhayani wakasima, kakale na ibabo banabo babhayani bana tjilopa. 11 Koga gumbuludzo langu nge linoti, Baiziraela bose bakubunganile pa muli, kudwa ku Dani kunoti ku Bheerisheba, bali bunji gunonga nsetje we gungwa, mube muyenda ku ngwa nge kwenyu. 12 Ndizo towonowana Dafite paanowobe alipo, ngono towonobawila se khawa idwa pezhugwi, tibe timbulaya kose ne bathu babe kusina ne ng'ompela unowosala. 13 Ha atizhila mu mmwe nzi, ipapo Baiziraela banowozha nge mitjili ku nzi iwoyo, tibe tiukwebela mu nkuku, kudzina kusala kusina nenguba lili bgwana lingawanika pawabe ulipo.”
14 Ngono Abusalomu ne bathu bose be Iziraela bakabe beti, “Gumbuludzo la Hushai we N'ariki loyita pa gumbuludzo la Ahithofele.” Yahwe bakumbuludza kuti gumbuludzo la Ahithofele lakalulwama lisitongo tobegwa, kuti ndizo Yahwe bazhise mbipo muna Abusalomu.
Dafite unotjenjedziwa ebe etizha
15 Ndizo Hushai kadwa bapirisiti Zadoki na Abiathari kati, “Ahithofele wakakumbuludza Abusalomu ne batungamili be Iziraela sahwoku, ngono oku ndiko imi sekwa ndakakumbuludza. 16 Ndizo ngwenu tumilani thumwa kuna Dafite tjinyolotjo kuti banon'dwa bati, ‘Mu busiku gwa nasi musitongo lala panotjulukwa gwizi mu tjilambanyika, koga mugwise nge zila dzose mutjulukile seli, kusajalo mambo ne bathu bose baanabo bawolobesiwa.’ ”
17 Ipapo Jonatani na Ahimaazi bakabe bakalinda bali pa nsenya we Enerogele, nlandakadzi wakabe egala ezha ewobabudza tjinoshingikala, ibo bekoyenda benobudza Mambo Dafite, ngobe ibo bakabe basakafanila bong'wa bengina mu nzi. 18 Koga kukashingikala kuti mbisana ababone, ebe enobudza Abusalomu, ndizo bubili gwabo bakatizha tjinyolotjo bakanobgwata ku ng'umba ye mmwe nlume ku Bhahurimu, wakabe ana tshima mukati kwe nzi uwe ngono bakangina mulili. 19 Nkadzi we ng'umba iyeyo katola thobo kaiwala pa nlomo we tshima, kadzwala mathunde pezhugwi kwayo, kuti kusibe ne ungaziba tjikusi kwayo. 20 Kukati babhayani ba Abusalomu bezha ku nkadzi bakambhuzwa bakati, “Bangayi bo Ahimaazi na Jonatani?”
Nkadzi kabashandula eti, “Batjulukila seli kwe lukobana.”
Babhayani bakabashaka ngono bakasi bawane, bakabe bebgwilila ku Jerusalema.
21 Kukati babhayani basinoyenda, Ahimaazi na Jonatani bakabhuda mu tshima bakabikila Dafite beti, “Milika tjinyolotjo utjuluke nkuku. Ngobe Ahithofele wakumbuludza nge kwenyu sahwoku na woku.” 22 Ipapo Dafite kamilika ne bathu bose baakabe anabo bakatjulukila seli kwe Jorodani, kukati zhuba libhuda kukabe kusitjina ne nng'ompela wabo wakabe asathu katjulukila seli kwe Jorodani.
23 Kukati Ahithofele ebona kuti gumbuludzo lile alizoshingikadziwa, kabelesa donki iye, ngono kayenda kanyi kwabo ku nzi nkulu wakanyi kukwe. Kati asina kululwamisa zwe nsha uwe, kazwisungilila kafa, ngono kabiganyigwa mu ikumbu tja tate babe.
24 Ipapo Dafite kayenda ku Mahanayimi nge tjibaka tjakabe Abusalomu ne Baiziraela betjuluka Jorodani. 25 Ipapo Abusalomu wakabe atjibiga Amasa kutungamila ngwa mu bumo gwa Joabu. Amasa wakabe ali nkololo we nlume wakabe edang'wa Ithera we N'iziraela, wakabe akalobola Abigaile nkololokadzi wa Nahashi, hazwadzi ya Zeruya, mme ba Joabu. 26 Baiziraela na Abusalomu bakakotokela mu shango ye Giliyadi.
27 Kukati Dafite eswika ku Mahanayimi kashanganidziwa ndibo Shobi nkololo wa Nahashi edwa ku Rabha we Baamoni na Makiri nkololo wa Amiele edwa ku Lodeba na Bharizilai we N'giliyadi edwa ku Rogelimu. 28 Bakazha bakasenga malawo ne ndilo ne zwija zwe ntapkhwi ne mathunde e korong ne mathunde e bhali ne bgwisa ne mathunde akakangiwa ne nyemba ne lishumbe. 29 Nenge butji gwe nyutji ne nkaka wakabidwa ne pkhwizi ne tjatjile, bezwizhila Dafite ne baakabe anabo kuti baje. Ngobe bakabe beziba kuti Dafite ne babhayani babe bakanyala kakale bana zhala ne nyota mu tjilambanyika.
1 Ahithophel said to Absalom:
Let me choose 12,000 men and attack David tonight, 2 while he is tired and discouraged. He will panic, and everyone with him will run away. I won't kill anyone except David, 3 since he's the one you want to get rid of. Then I'll bring the whole nation back to you like a bride coming home to her husband. This way there won't be a civil war.
Hushai Fools Absalom
4 Absalom and all the leaders of the tribes of Israel agreed that Ahithophel had a good plan. 5 Then Absalom said, “Bring in Hushai the Archite. Let's hear what he has to say.”
6 Hushai came in, and Absalom told him what Ahithophel had planned. Then Absalom said, “Should we do what he says? And if we shouldn't, can you come up with anything better?”
7 Hushai said:
This time Ahithophel's advice isn't so good. 8 You know that your father and his followers are real warriors. Now they are as fierce as a mother bear whose cubs have just been killed. Besides, your father has a lot of experience in fighting wars, and he won't be spending the night with the others. 9 He has probably already found a hiding place in a cave or somewhere else.
As soon as anyone hears that some of your soldiers have been killed, everyone will think your whole army has been destroyed. 10 Then even those who are as brave as a lion will lose their courage. All Israel knows what a great warrior your father is and what brave soldiers he has.
11 My advice is to gather all the fighting men of Israel from the town of Dan in the north down to the town of Beersheba in the south. You will have more soldiers than there are grains of sand on the seashore. Absalom, you should lead them yourself, 12 and we will all go to fight David wherever he is. We will fall on him just as dew falls and covers the ground. He and all his soldiers will die! 13 If they go into a walled town, we will put ropes around that town and drag it into the river. We won't leave even one small piece of a stone.
14 Absalom and the others liked Hushai's plan better than Ahithophel's plan. This was because the Lord had decided to keep Ahithophel's plan from working and to cause trouble for Absalom.
Jonathan and Ahimaaz Tell David the News
15 At once, Hushai went to Zadok and Abiathar. He told them what advice Ahithophel had given to Absalom and to the leaders of Israel. He also told them about the advice he had given. 16 Then he said, “Hurry! Send someone to warn David not to spend the night on this side of the Jordan. He must get across the river, so he and the others won't be wiped out!”
17 Jonathan and Ahimaaz had been waiting at Rogel Spring because they did not want to be seen in Jerusalem. A servant girl went to the spring and gave them the message for David. 18 But a young man saw them and went to tell Absalom. So Jonathan and Ahimaaz left and hurried to the house of a man who lived in Bahurim. Then they climbed down into a well in the courtyard. 19 The man's wife put the cover on the well and poured grain on top of it, so the well could not be seen.
20 Absalom's soldiers came to the woman and demanded, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?”
The woman answered, “They went across that stream.”
The soldiers went off to look for the two men. But when they did not find the men, they went back to Jerusalem.
21 After the soldiers had gone, Jonathan and Ahimaaz climbed out of the well. They went to David and said, “Hurry! Get ready to cross the river!” Then they told him about Ahithophel's plan.
22 David and the others got ready and started crossing the Jordan River. By sunrise all of them were on the other side.
Ahithophel Kills Himself
23 When Ahithophel saw that Absalom and the leaders of Israel were not going to follow his advice, he saddled his donkey and rode back to his home in Gilo. He told his family and servants what to do. Then he hanged himself, and they buried him in his family's burial place.
Absalom Puts Amasa in Charge of the Army
24 David went to the town of Mahanaim, and Absalom crossed the Jordan River with the army of Israel. 25 Absalom put Amasa in Joab's place as commander of the army. Amasa's father was Ithra from the family of Ishmael, and his mother was Abigal, the daughter of Nahash and the sister of Joab's mother Zeruiah. 26 The Israelites under Absalom's command set up camp in the region of Gilead.
Friends Bring Supplies to David
27 After David came to the town of Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash came from Rabbah in Ammon, Machir the son of Ammiel came from Lo-Debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite came from Rogelim.
28-29 Here is a list of what they brought: sleeping mats, blankets, bowls, pottery jars, wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils, honey, yogurt, sheep, and cheese.
They brought the food for David and the others because they knew that everyone would be hungry, tired, and thirsty from being out in the desert.